Admissions Criteria 2015

St Peter’s Catholic High School Admissions Policy and arrangements for 2015/2016 1. St Peter’s is a Catholic Secondary School situated in the Archdiocese of Liverpool and is maintained by the Wigan Local Authority.

2. The Governing Body of the school is responsible for determining and administering the policy relating to the admission of pupils to the school. It is guided in that responsibility by:     

the requirements of the law the advice of the Archdiocesan Trustees on the nature and purpose of its duties its duty towards the school and the Catholic community it serves the Catholic character of the school and its Mission Statement recognition of the Parish boundaries.

3. The school serves in the first instance baptised Catholic children living in the Parish (es) of:  Our Lady of the Annunciation (formerly St Marie’s) & St. Bernadette’s  St. James’, Orrell  St. Joseph’s, Wrightington  St. Mary’s, Birchley  St. Teresa’s, Up Holland  St. Cuthbert’s, Norley Hall (that part of the parish to the west of and including Norley Hall Avenue and Enfield Street).

4. Having consulted with the LA and others in accordance with the requirements of the law, the Governing Body has proposed its admissions limit at 180 pupils for the school year commencing September 2015.

5. Parents must complete the Local Authority application form. Parents who wish their application to this Catholic school to be considered against the priority faith criteria should also complete the supplementary faith form. If the school is oversubscribed, failure to complete the supplementary faith form may result in your application for a place in this school being considered against lower criteria, as the Governing Body will have no information upon which to assess the application on the basis of the applicant’s baptism and/or membership of a faith community.

6. The Governing Body has delegated responsibility for determining admissions to its Admissions Committee, which will consider all applications made in accordance with the criteria set out over the page, without reference to the ability or aptitude of the child.

St Peter’s Catholic High School Over-subscription Criteria

Where the number of applications exceeds the number of places available the Governing Body will apply the following over-subscription criteria 1. Baptised Catholic children who are in the care of the Local authority (looked after and previously looked after children).

2. Baptised Catholic children living in the designated Parishes of Our Lady of the Annunciation & St. Bernadette’s; St. James’, Orrell; St. Joseph’s, Wrightington; St. Mary’s, Birchley; St. Teresa’s, Up Holland; St. Cuthbert’s, Norley Hall (that part of the parish to the west of and including Norley Hall Avenue and Enfield Street).

3. Baptised Catholic children who will have a brother or sister at the school on the date at which they will enter school. This includes full, half or stepbrothers and sisters, adopted and foster brothers and sisters or children of the parent/carer’s partner, and in every case who are living at the same address and are part of the same family unit.

4. Baptised Catholic children living in other Catholic parishes.

5. Children who are in the care of the Local Authority (looked after and previously looked after children) other than Catholic.

6. Children who are other than Catholic who have a brother or a sister at the school on the date at which they will enter the school. This includes full, half or stepbrothers and sisters, adopted and foster brothers and sisters or children of the parent/carer’s partner, and in every case who are living at the same address and are part of the same family unit.

7. Children from other Christian denominations. Proof of Baptism in the form of Baptismal Certificate or confirmation in writing that the applicant is a member of their Faith community from an appropriate Minister of Religion is required.

8. Children of other Faiths. An appropriate Minister of Religion would need to confirm in writing that the applicant is a member of their Faith group.

9. Children whose parents express a preference for a place at the school.

In the event of any over-subscription in the number of applications made under any of the categories above then the Admissions Committee will offer places first to children living nearest to the school measured in a straight line from the house/flat to the main front entrance of the school as measured by the Local Authority using a Geographical Information System (GIS), with those living closer to the school receiving higher priority.

Priority in Criterion 2 will be determined firstly on the Catholic children in this category who have an older brother or sister attending St. Peter’s school on the date at which they will enter school and then on the proximity ruling described above.

St Peter’s Catholic High School are part of the Wigan Council Co-ordinated Admission Scheme of which these arrangements form part.

1. All applications will be considered at the same time and after the closing date (detailed on the preceding page) agreed by the Admission Committee.

2. Parents will be informed, by letter, of the decision of the Admission Committee no later than 1st March 2016.

3. If application has not been successful the letter will give reasons for the decision, will inform parents of their right of appeal and give guidance on how that appeal should be made.

4. A waiting list for children who have not been offered a place will be kept and will be ranked according to the Admission Criteria; the waiting list will operate until the end of the first term.

Important information about the waiting list.

We cannot take into account the length of time a child’s name has been on the waiting list, only the admission criteria for the school. This means that your child’s position on the list may change if another parent asks to be put on the list and their child has higher priority in the admissions criteria.

Notes: 1. For a child to be considered as a Catholic, evidence of the Catholic Baptism or reception into the Church will be required.

Baptised Catholic – means, within the policies and practices relating to school admissions, any child who, before the due date of application, is baptised Catholic or who, having been baptised into another Christian denomination whose baptisms are recognised by the Catholic Church, has subsequently been formally received into the Catholic Church.

Or A person who has been baptised in a separate ecclesial community and subsequently received into full communion with the Catholic Church by the Rite of Reception of Baptised Christians into the Full Communion of the Catholic Church.

Written evidence of their baptism and reception into full communion with the Catholic Church can be obtained by recourse to the Register of Receptions, or in some cases a sub-section of the Baptismal Registers of the church in which the Rite of Reception took place.

The Governing Body will require written evidence in the form of a Certificate of Baptism or Certificate of Reception before applications for school places can be considered for categories of “Baptised Catholics”. A Certificate of Baptism or Reception is to include: full name, date of birth, date of baptism or reception and parent(s) name(s). The certificate must also show that it is copied from the records kept by the place of baptism or reception.

Those who would have difficulty obtaining written evidence of baptism for a good reason, may still be considered as baptised Catholics but only after they have been referred to their parish priest, who after consulting with the Vicar General, will decide how the question of baptism is to be resolved and how written evidence is to be produced in accordance with the law of the Church.

Those who would be considered to have good reason for not obtaining written evidence would include those who cannot contact the place of baptism due to persecution or fear, the destruction of the church and the original records, or where baptism was administered validly but not in the Parish church where records are kept.

Governors may request extra supporting evidence when the written documents that are produced do not clarify the fact that a person was baptised or received into the Catholic Church (i.e. where the name and address of the Church is not on the certificate or where the name of the Church does not state whether it is a Catholic Church or not).

2. The home address of a pupil is considered to be the permanent residence of a child. The address must be the child’s only or main residence. Documentary evidence may be required – e.g. Child Benefit payment address.

3. Where care is split equally between mother and father, the address on your Child Benefit book or the child’s medical card will be used as the child’s address.

4. Looked after children and previously looked after children.

‘Previously looked after children are children who were looked after, but ceased to be so because they were adopted (or became subject to a residence order or special guardianship order). Applications for previously looked after children must be supported with appropriate evidence i.e. a copy of the adoption order, residence order or special guardianship order’.

PARENTS MUST COMPLETE THE LOCAL AUTHORITY COMMON APPLICATION FORM AND THE SCHOOL SUPPLEMENTARY FAITH FORM. Admission Details (September 2014) The school’s standard admission number was 180.

The total number of applications, which were received for a place at St. Peter’s for the 2014/2015 school year, was 433 Of these applications the Governors accepted 180.

The outcome of the previous year’s admissions is not a perfect guide to the next year’s decisions, but such information can be of general help to parents considering their options. The final number admitted may be increased via the Appeals process, for information on the total number in 2014 Y7 please contact school.